Hollybank Vets is 4 today!
On March 2nd 2009 Hollybank Veterinary Centre in Sandiway opened its doors for the very first time. From a cold start and with just four members of staff, it was an ambitious project. The aim of the practice was to provide the best possible care and service to both clients and patients. In short, Hollybank Vets wanted to be the practice that was ‘a cut above the rest’. Four years on, with a staff of 8 and a glowing reputation, Hollybank seems to be well on the way to fulfilling the high target they set themselves.
Hollybank may have started out with a very small team but they certainly got involved in the community! In the first twelve months they entered Whitegate Charity Trust’s ‘It’s a Knockout’ and came fourth (with a team of staff, friends, family and newly found clients!), judged Blakemere’s Countryside Fair Dog Show (and have since become a regular yearly fixture there) and held their first ever Charity Open Day (which they have continued to hold annually, so far raising over £3000 for local children’s charity The Joshua Tree and The Neuromuscular Centre. But perhaps their greatest achievement was achieving Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons Hospital Status just nine months after opening. This is the greatest accolade a Veterinary Practice can achieve and was awarded after Hollybank met the highest possible standards in all areas of the practice including patient care, facilities, health and safety and cleanliness. Committed to continued development and improvement Hollybank has since become a Training Practice for student nurses, a Gold Standard Cat Friendly Practice ( one of only 17 in England!) and has been nominated for practice of the year at the annual Pet Plan awards.
One thing that has always set Hollybank Vets apart from others is their willingness to allow clients and other members of the public to go ‘beyond the consulting room door’. This has always been very important to the practice as they are very aware that clients generally never get to see ‘out the back’ or find out where their pet goes when it comes to stay – whether for just a day or for longer. Senior Vet Helen McCrorie says ‘We wanted our clients to be able to look around, see our facilities and make sure that they were happy with where their pet will be treated. We have always held the view that we have nothing to hide and welcome clients- and potential clients- into the practice at every opportunity.’
This has been upheld with regular visits from local schools, nurseries and scouting groups, as well as trips out by the staff to such places. Resident guinea pigs, Stacey and Nessa, always enjoy helping out these events including the local school fairs and the annual village Gala Day, where last year Hollybank’s Scarecrows won the business category of the Olympic Scarecrow Competetion! (an award that took almost as much effort to obtain as the Hospital Status did!). Village talks held and funded by the practice have always been popular too and have covered topics such as Firework Phobia and Arthritis.
Throughout all the fun, Hollybank has always kept one thing at its heart; its commitment to offering the absolute best standard of care to pets and their owners. Practice Principal Richard Hewitt believes that that is the key to their success so far. ‘Our reputation means everything to us and much of our growth is because we have been recommended to others by our existing clients. All the vets, nurses and receptionists at Hollybank strive to do the best possible job, every single time, for every single client and patient.’
